Community Wind Development Handbook

The Community Wind Development Handbook is designed to give developers of “wholesale” community wind projects practical knowledge of what to expect when developing commercial-scale community wind energy projects in the range of 2 to 50 Megawatts (MW). These wind projects are designed for bulk power generation for sale to a utility company or large electricity user and can supply enough energy to serve several hundred to thousands of homes. Typically, planning and developing a wholesale community wind project takes several years, working with a dedicated team of professionals that have expertise in business and finance, easements, power purchase agreements, engineering, construction and project management, and experience in the utility sector as well as other aspects of the wind industry.

The Handbook provides insight into every aspect of the community wind development process and helpful information about managing a project from the beginning of the development process through decommissioning. It includes a primer on wind resource assessment based on current technology and industry standards, and information about financing, business structures, tax incentives and liability, the interconnection of your project and acquiring a power purchase agreement, and selecting and purchasing turbines and associated equipment. It is intended to provide prospective developers with tools for each these steps, cost estimates, and guidance on when and where to involve outside expertise. Developed and reviewed by a broad team of wind, legal, engineering, and financial experts, Windustry’s Community Wind Handbook includes:

A new pro forma model tool;

Annotated examples of various legal agreements;

Detailed review of policy incentives; and

New case studies.

A community wind project has many parallels to the development of an ethanol plant or any other large energy facility. It is a multi-million dollar business that requires expertise in business, finance, and engineering, the participation of a diverse board of directors, much patience and perseverance, and equity and/or debt finance partners. It is not easy, but with the completion of a well-planned project, the rewards for a community are great.